Chapter 102: The Prowler's Map Controversy

"Take out what's in your pockets, Potter!" shouted Snape suddenly.

Harry didn't move, and his friends roared in his ears.

"Professor, we..."

"Shut up, Mason! Shut up, Granger!" Snape shouted angrily. He sounded very angry.

"Severus, I don't think there's any need to yell at some children." Professor Lupin came over and said softly, "They're not breaking any school rules."

"There was no violation of school rules?" Snape's anger seemed to have grown even more. He smirked, as he sneered, "That's because you don't know enough about them to know what they used to.... Ah, I forgot you were just like them, or worse!"

"Severus..." Professor Lupin frowned.

"Enough, Lupin, don't scrutinize my methods of education. You say they didn't violate school rules? Then I'll prove it to you." Snape turned and shouted at Harry again. "Take out what's in your pockets - do it or we'll go straight to the Headmaster! Take it out, Potter!"

In the Great Dining Hall, all the students looked at them in disbelief.

Ivan saw Fred and George, who heard the news, and rushed in.

Looking at their faces, it was clear that they knew the map was in Harry's pocket. If it was discovered by Snape, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.

Ivan was quick to wave his hands at Fred and George, begging them not to act rashly. Throwing dung bombs in the Great Dining Hall to distract Snape's attention was a terrible idea.

Even if they succeeded, daring to do such a thing would bring them great misery.

Ivan gently nudged Harry and asked him to follow Snape's orders.

They clearly couldn't confront the teachers. Again, Ivan was thinking that there was absolutely no need to worry about this matter, because James Potter and his friends had probably made the map in such a way that his rival Severus shouldn't be able to use it.

Harry saw everyone staring at him, and he was filled with fear.

He slowly pulled out the contents of his pocket and, aside from some candy, he only had the map.

Upon seeing the map, Lupin showed a strange and mysterious expression on his face.

Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione did their best to calm down. They saw Snape immediately pick up the map.

In the next few seconds, Hermione became very nervous and her cold little hands clutched at Ivan's arm.

"What is this, a small piece of blank parchment?" Snape turned the parchment over and looked at them. "Potter, you don't need such an old parchment, why don't you throw it away?!"

He pulled out his wand and waved it gently. The tip of the wand emitted a small blue flame. His left hand held the map and moved it slowly towards the flame.

"No!" said Harry quickly.

"Aha!" Snape's long nose twitched and he said with a sneer. "Why do you need an empty parchment, or is it something else? A letter.... perhaps; written with invisible ink? Or is it a way to get into Hogwarts undetected by Dementors?"

Harry blinked and Snape's eyes were brighter.

"Let me see, let me see..." he muttered, pulling out his wand and smoothing the map on the table. "Reveal your secret!" he said, tapping his wand on the parchment.

Ivan looked closely at the map, but nothing happened. He noticed that Harry was overly nervous, clenching his hands to keep them from shaking.

"Show yourself!" Snape tapped the map with his wand.

The map was still blank. Harry and his friends were relieved and everyone's heart rose from their stomachs.

"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands that you give the information you are hiding." Snape said, tapping the map with his wand.

As if an invisible hand was writing on it, the words appeared on the smooth surface of the map.

"Lunatic greets Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose away from the affairs of others."

Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbfounded, at the message. But the map didn't stop there.

More writing appeared below the first.

"Mr. Antler agrees with Mr. Lunatic and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git."

It would have been hilarious if the situation hadn't been so dire. And there was more...

"Mr. Canute would like to go on record as being astonished that an idiot like him was ever a teacher."

Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he opened them, the map had his last word.

"Mr. Wormtail says good morning to Professor Snape and advises him to wash his hair, it's greasy."

No one knew what to say, it was so quiet you could hear a needle drop.

Everyone saw that Snape's face was heavier than ever. They all expected him to be furious.

"It turned out to be like this, it was like this, I should have thought about it..." said Snape quietly, and it seemed he finally realized what this parchment was.

Ivan noticed his expression, he was looking at Harry, his mind clearly absorbed by memories of the past, but this time, his memories were definitely not good, as his face showed only anger and disgust.

The atmosphere was oppressive, and he quickly snapped back to the present.

The next second, Snape turned quickly and looked at Professor Lupin, his face almost distorted with anger. He said with extreme disgust. "Lupin, what do you think this is?"

Snape pointed to the parchment, on which the words of Mr. Lunatic, Mr. Antlers, Mr. Canute and Mr. Wormtail still glowed. A strange expression appeared on Lupin's face.

"This parchment must be full of evil spells, which is your specialty, Lupin! Or, more accurately, you should know what it is." Snape said through gritted teeth, "Where do you think Harry got such a thing?"

Lupin looked up and, with a simple glance in Harry's direction, warned him not to interrupt.

"Full of dark magic?" he repeated softly. "Do you really think so, Severus? It strikes me as a simple piece of parchment that insults anyone who reads it. Childish, but not dangerous. I imagine Harry got it from a joke store..."

"Really?", Snape sneered, his jaw stiff with anger. "You think a joke store could supply him with something like that? Don't you think it's more likely he got it directly from the manufacturers?"